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00:00I want to talk about NATO but before that you are a native Texan and we have had this horrific tragedy in your state in that public elementary school. You served in the Senate during some of these horrific incidents in the past. I wonder what your thoughts are. My thoughts are just this has got to stop. Words just I can't think of words that would really describe how sad and awful this is killing children in school. It's beyond anything that you could say that would be enough. And so I hope that our politicians are listening to this at the state level at the federal level of the people of this country. The spirit of America cannot allow this kind of carnage in our country to continue. It's not one time. It's it's in a grocery store in Buffalo. It's in a school in Texas. We've got to do something that shows our population that we are going to bring back what made America great and that is to address these issues. This cannot be this cannot be accepted. Indeed. OK. Thank you so much for those words. I really appreciate. Let's go back now to NATO. You were ambassador from the United States to NATO. We have Sweden and Finland coming in now to NATO it appears. We're not sure exactly how soon they'll have it. But you have a piece out actually that suggests it goes beyond just the question of what's going on in Ukraine. There are larger strategic issues here that will be implicated by their addition to NATO. Absolutely it is much bigger because it is a solid unification now of Europe and their attention to defense. It also brings and the high north which is an area that both China and Russia have begun to come into. For purposes submarines ships that they're exploring. And China of course has a belt and road initiative in Europe. And they are now saying outright they have an Arctic belt and road initiative looking for ports in Greenland and and more to do with Iceland. So I think we need to look at the strategic message of this unification in Europe and the solid solidity of Europe in dealing with the Russian aggression on Ukraine but also as a message to China. You have just had a wonderful interview about the Chinese importance. And obviously the secretary of state is now talking about that. We need a message to President Xi that we have a solid Europe. We have a solid natto with North America and the trans-Atlantic bond. And Denmark and Sweden are a value added to this very strong NATO response. And that should be be looked at very carefully by any aggressor whether it's China whether it's North Korea any Iran. I mean we are solidifying our defense capabilities. And that's what this means. I suspect that was not Vladimir Putin's first objective when he started this war in Ukraine. Turning back to that war in Ukraine right now. Give us your thoughts on where it stands. And particularly there's a lot more focus right now on the naval aspects of it in the Black Sea and that so-called blockade of the port of Odessa which is making it possible to grain out of Ukraine to the rest of the world. You know that's what I think Putin is now sort of reducing his goals so that he will have what he will be able to public size as a when and then is to look at the West which is the Donbas and then the south where he has always wanted to have more control in the Black Sea. And that's what I think you're seeing. And I think the weapons that that we and our NATO allies are putting in now are focusing on the anti ship missiles to go into the Black Sea and to try also to get some kind of corridor that allows grain to get out. Because we're going to have a global effect on hunger if we don't do that. Ukraine is a huge agricultural producer for for the world and we need to have that corridor. And I think that those are the next steps that we're going to see in this Russian invasion of Ukraine is to keep that corridor in the Black Sea so that we can have the train going in and out and particularly agricultural trade. Everyone is eager for that. Everyone around the world. We heard about it from Davos repeatedly this week earlier this week at the same time. Are there risks at the same time. Because now Peterson started say well there should be a cease fire called. Are there risks in that for Ukraine actually to call a fire too early. Well we need to make sure that there can be a safe package. I think what is being talked about now is assuring that there could be convoys that would protect commercial in and out operations from Odessa and other ports in the Ukraine. I mean we'd all love to see a cease fire but that doesn't look like it's in the cards right now because Ukraine is still trying to get enough capability to not only have the defense which they've shown such spirit to be able to repel the Russians but also offense to drive them back out from where they came. And I think that that is going to be the south and the the Donbas region that is going to have to be that focus and a ceasefire before they have the ability to retake their rightful sovereign borders. I think is is something they have to decide. I don't think we ought to be telling them what to do or how to operate. We are giving them the aid so they can defend themselves. And I I've heard people say well we need to encourage them to go to the negotiating table. We need to support them through strength. So what they have something that they want and they fought for and died for already. And I think we should be letting them make these decisions.

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Hutchison on the Tragedy in Texas, Finland and Sweden NATO Applications

Former US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a former US Ambassador to NATO, discusses the killing of schoolchildren in Texas this week, and plans by Sweden and Finland to join NATO. She speaks on "Balance of Power" with David Westin. (Source: Bloomberg)